Journalists in 2G tapes will face PAC: Joshi

New Delhi: Journalists, whose names have cropped up in the 2G scam tapes, will face the Public Accounts Committee, PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi has said.

Joshi, in an interview to a news channel, said, "Editors and senior journalists who have incriminated themselves in a way on the 2G scam tapes will be summoned by the PAC."

He added that the telecom scam had caused huge losses to the exchequer and that if the taped conversation points towards someone, the PAC would summon that individual.

The conversations between certain journalists and corporate lobbyist Niira Radia tapped by IT officials and leaked to media have been severely criticised by people and political parties but this is the first time the PAC chief has clearly said that journalists whose names have emerged will be grilled.

Asked in the interview about the Hindu ideology of RSS, which is facing the heat after certain persons closely associated with the Sangh are being questioned for the Malegaon blast and a couple of other cases, the senior BJP leader described Hinduism as a "lifestyle, not a codified religion".

"The RSS uses the term Hindu, whereas, I use the terms Bharatiya, India. The confusion is of terminology only. There is no difference ideologically," he explained.

To a pointed question if he would have any objection to using the word `Hindavi` instead of `Hindu`, Joshi responded by saying that he already used this term and thus had no objection.

The RSS has been in the line of fire after a spiritual guru from Dangs in Gujarat Swami Assemanand reportedly confessed to police about his role in the Malegaon case and police pointing fingers at senior Sangh leader Indresh Kumar in connection with certain other terror cases.